1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of cockpit indicators or head-up display (“HUD”) units that provide terrain information to the pilot or flight crew of an aircraft using image data generated by a synthetic vision system (“SVS”).
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern avionics systems employ HUD and Head-Down Display (“HDD”) indicating systems for providing tactical flight information to the pilot. In a HUD system, a HUD unit is mounted in front of the pilot at windshield level and is directly in the pilot's field of vision. The HUD system is advantageous because the display is transparent allowing the pilot to keep his or her eyes “outside the cockpit” while the display unit provides tactical flight information to the pilot. In a HDD system, a tactical flight display is mounted in the cockpit instrument panel directly in front of the pilot and below windshield level. To view the presentation of information on a display unit of a HDD system, a pilot must look down into the cockpit, causing him or her to take his or her eyes from the outside scene of the aircraft.
Modern avionics systems may employ an SVS for displaying terrain information to both HDD and HUD systems. The SVS system is advantageous in an HDD and HUD indicating system because it presents terrain information of the scene outside the aircraft (“synthetic scene”), thereby enhancing the situational awareness of the pilot. In an HDD system, a lighted solid image of terrain and objects (e.g., obstacles and runways) may be represented on an HDD unit as a realistic, intuitive, three-dimensional perspective using terrain color coding according to elevation that mimics coloring used in aviation-related charts and publications.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,264,498 entitled “System, Apparatus, and Method for Presenting a Monochrome Image of Terrain on a Head-Up Display Unit,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety disclosed a novel and non-trivial system, apparatus, and method for presenting a monochrome, three-dimensional lighted solid image of terrain to the pilot on a HUD unit based upon an image data set comprised of terrain data and color intensity data. Color intensity data could be included in a multi-channel pixel intensity data set.